Knitting-machine.



Patented July 24, I900..

A. MARCH. KNITTING MACHINE. (Application filed Sept. 7, 1899.)

6 Sheetsr-Sheat M Ma WM my 0. v1 N AY B (No Mo'dol.)

WITNESSES:

ATTORN EYS we NDRMS PETERS co. PHOTO-LITHQ, wlsnmomx. a. c.

No. 654,469. Patented July 24, I900. A. MARCH.

KNITTING MACHINE. (Application filed Sept. 7 1899.)

6 Shets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

C R H m 4 n N ,N EM. x on V 0 mi WW WITNESSES:

No. 654,469. "Patented Jul 24 I900 A. MARCH. y

KNITTINGMAGHINE.

(Applidation filed Bpt; 7, 1899.)

6 Sheets-Sheet 3,

(No Model.)

l ll.

WITNESSES:'

w: NORRIS Pan-as co wo'romno wasuwarom n c.

No. 654,469. Patented July 24, I900.

A. MARCH.

KNITTING MACHINE.

(Application filed. Sept. 7, 1899.) (No Model.) s SheetsSh 6et -4.

ATTGRN EYS THE nonms versus no. mmmnno.v WASHINGTON. u. c,

Patented July 24, I900.

A. MARCH. KNITTING MACHINE.

(Application filed Sept. '7, 1899.) I

6 Shaeis-Sheet 6 (No Model.)

WITNESSES:

INVENTOIR fz fred Marc/I B 6 ATTORNEYS THE Norms PEYERS cor, FHDYO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON, a, c.

as TATES Eric...

meme-me e.

SPECIFICATION ratin art of Letters Patent so. 654,469, dated July 24, 1900.

Application filed septernber 7, 1899.- Serial No. 729,756. (No model.)

To aZZ whom i2; may concern.-

Be itknown that I, ALFRED MARCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Brunswick, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists in certain novel details of construction setforth in the following specification and claims and illustrated in the annexed drawings, in which-" Figure l is a rear elevation of a knitting-machine embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1, part of the carriage being sectioned away. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the machine on a larger scale than in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section alongi; n, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section along to to, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 shows the pattern-chain with its actuating mechanism. Fig. 7 is a section along 00' :c, Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a sectional side elevation of the carriage and needle-bed. Fig. 9 is an inverted plan view of a cam of a carriage. Fig. 10 shows the shifter for the yarn-carrier. Fig. 11 shows the shifter for a tumbler-actuating lever. Fig. 12 shows the shifter for the stopmotion. Fig. 13 shows the lever for loosening meshes.

The frame or support of the machine is shown at 1, and a pulley-shaft 2, Fig. 1, has the fast and loose pulleys 3 and hand or fly wheel 1. A belt 5 can be shifted by shifter 6, which latter can be actuated by hand-lever 7, Figs. 3 and 4, or bya stop-motion hereinafter referred to. The shaft 2 is connected by gears 8 and 9, Fig. 1, with driving-shaft 10, which by means of miter-gears 11, Fig. 3, rotates shaft 12 with crank-arm 14, Fig. 1. Arm 14 is connected by link 15 to lever 16, having fulcrum 17 conveniently secured, say, to the floor of the factory. The oscillations of lever 16 caused by rotation of arm 14 are transmitted by link 18 to carriage 19, reciprocating across needle-bed 20. The bed 20 is really composed of two beds or sections arranged in roof or gable shape, and the carriage 19 is frame-shaped, its two longitudinal branches corresponding to the sections of bed 20. Said carriage is caused to actuate the 21, 21, and 21 are needles in the beds by cam arrangements, one of which is shown in Fig. 9. The cam-pieces secured to the under side of carriage 19 and leave between them a channel or V-shaped way to recriprocate the needles, these pieces acting as advancing and retracting cams. V T The needles 22, Fig. 8, have butts 23, cf;- tended through slots, and the needle-tails spring with such friction against the slots that when a needle has been raised or moved up on its bed to project across the center line of the machine or the apex of bed 20, say, to the positions shown by the dotted-line needles in Fig. 8, such needle will not slip down or fallback by its weight, but has to be forced back. The bed 20 has keepers or stops 24;, and when the butt 23 of a needlerests against stop 24 such butt is out of the way.or reach of carriage 19 or cam 21, so that the latter cannot move the needle. If, however, the butt 23 is raised or moved from stop 24 a sufficient distance to come in the path of cam 21, such cam when carried by the carriage against butt 28 will by one or the other of its incline faces slide butt 23 toward the median line of the machine until the apex of cam 21 has passed such butt, after which cam 21 or 21 moves the butt 23 away from suchmedian line. The reciprocations of carriage 19 thus cause the needles of the opposite sets to oscillate toward and from one another so as to knit. The needles can be moved from stop 2t to within reach of cam 21 by lifters secured to the carriage or mounted on the side of the carriage facing the needles. Each lifter consists of an arm 25, Fig. 9, whose hub 26 is mounted on a pivot 27, set at an angle or incline to the longitudinal diameter of the carriage,so that the lifters swing somewhat transversely to the travel of the carriage. The arm has its swing limited by the stops '28 and 29, and a brake or spring prevents the arm accidentally moving away from the stop against which it may be resting at the time. Four such lifters are used in the construction shown, one at or near each end of the base of cam or triangle 21. Each lifter 25 is moved to needle-engaging position by its lever or tumbler 31, Fig. 9. The swing of the tumbler in one direction is limited by a spring or stop 32. Then swinging away from this arm or stop 32, the tumbler strikes lifter 25 and carries it to stop 29, where the movements of both tumbler and lifter are stopped. The

swings of the tumbler and of the lifter are thus both limited, one by stops 28 and 29 and the other by stops 32 and 29. When a lifter rests at stop 28, such lifter cannot touch or engage a butt 23 resting at butt-stop 24. lVhen, however, the lifter is swung out or to stop 29, such lifter, as seen at the left-hand side in Fig. 8, will contact with a butt 23, the contacting face or part of the lifter being somewhat recessed or concaved to slightly lock itself to the needle but-t. Say the upper lifter in Fig. 9 has thus engaged a needle-butt and the carriage is moving in the direction-of the arrow there shown. The pressure of lifter against such needle-butt will swing or force lifter 25 from stop 29 to stop 28; but since the lifter-and needle-butt are interlocked,as just stated,'the butt 23, as indicated at the right at the right by full lines.

hand in Fig. 8, will be carried from the position shown at stop 24 by broken lines toward the cam 21 or stop28, as indicated in Fig. 8 By the time the lifter comes to-stop 28 it has swung up far enough to clear or lie over the butt 23; but

such 'butt now lies in the path of cam 21 or *within its base-line or the line extending between stops 29. When this cam is now being carried back 'andqforth by the reciprocating carriage 19, such cam strikes butt 23 of at needle and by aid of cams 21 and 21 will give areciprocatin g or knitting stroke to such 'islthe wrist'or forearm part of the work, the

1 and the widest part the shoulder part.

' needle. On the lifter being now swung back from stop 28 to stop 29 such lifter is in position to slide or'move another needle-butt into the field of "cam 21, and by thus moving one needle after the otherinto work the fabric or goodscan be widened. Taking for example the series of goods or work 33, (represented in 'Fig. 1,) which is a series of sleeve halves or sections, the narrowest part of the work, say,

partofintermediate width is the arm part, To knit the wrist'or narrowest part-,a certain nu mberof needles are at work. As the intertwo'needles'are added to the number of working needles. This addition of needles is kept up until su fficient needles are at work to knit the intermediate width. As the widest part is to be knit/thelifters are again made to add needles out of action can be done by hand.

The tumblers 31 are operated or swung against lifters 25 by fingers 34, Fig. 8, which,

as there seen by full lines, are normally out 'of- 'action'orout of reach of tumblers 31. These" "fingers project from rock-shafts 36,

suitably mounted, as on brackets 37, secured to "suitable fixed cross-pieces-say to the needle-bed 20 of the machine. Springs 35 can be made to normally hold the fingers out of action. then these fingers are swung inward or to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 8, the outer arms of the tumblers 31 as carriage 19 reciprocates come against fingers 34, so that such tumblers swing to strike or move their respective lifters 25.

The rock-shafts 36 have arms 38, Fig. 5, and the lugs or projection 39, Figs. 1 and 11,when made to depress or swing arm 38 will cause shaft 36 to rock and swing fingers 34 into action. The fork is shown in broken lines in Fig. 3 and is connected to lever 41, Figs. 1 and 11, normally held by spring 42 to keep the faces 39 away from arms 38. The lever 41 has a roller 43, against which runs patternehain 44, and as a raised face of this chain strikes or lifts roller 43 the lever 41 moves or pushes fork 40 and projections 39 to the arms 38. The pattern-chain travels, as indicated by arrow in Fig. 1, andthe patternchain there shown is adapted for knitting the three-width fabric shown at 33. Thechain has the pattern-faces to '45 and the second set of faces 45 to 45. As the part of the chain immediatelypreceding the face 45 travels under roller 43 the lever 41 remains at vrest and sufficient needles are kept at work to form the narrowest part'of the fabric. As the chain carries the faces 45 to 45 past roller 43 the number of working needles is increased, and while the chain carries the part or'plain portion between 45 and 45 past roller-43 the intermediatewidthisformed. Thefaces45to 45 then come into actionandthe fabric 33-is widened to its widest extent, after which face 46 engages the stop-motion and the machine stops. Of course the invention is not confined to this specific pattern-chain, as the chain varies according to the pattern desired. The chain shown is merely an example showing one kind of chain for a certain length or kind of sleeve.

The stop-face 46, as seen in Fig. 12, is made to strikeor move a lever 47, which, if seen fit, could have a friction-roller to ease the movement of such face. into action, lever 47 is movedagainst the action ofspring 48 and moves link 49, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 4. This linkmoves lever 50 to carry the slide 51 outof engagement with catch 52, whereupon spring 53 moves this slide with belt-shifter 6 to carry belt 5 ofi the fast pulley. The machine is-not limited to any special stop-motion.

The chain is moved or fed aboutby ban rel or sprocket-wheel 54, Fig. 1, whose shaft 55 has a ratchet 56, Fig.6, engaged by pawl 57 on lever'58. This lever is moved in one direction by spring 59, Fig. 5,-and in the other by cani 60 on shaft 10, said cam lifting link 61, which by link 62, Fig. 1,connects with lever58. The pawl 57 in the example shown is made to .move thechain or the ratchet56 When the-face 46 comes such pawl is held clear of ratchet 56 and moves only the idler-ratchet. When on its next stroke pawl 57 falls into a deep idler-tooth, it also reaches or takes hold of a tooth of the chain-driving ratchet to move the latter and feed the chain. The feed of the chain is not limited to the method shown.

In the drawings are shown two yarns or threads 64, each with its carrier or threadguide 65. When one guide travels or reciprocates across the machine, the other guide is at rest. Each guide is mounted on its track or rail 66, (shown in section in Fig. 8,) the guides being mounted on what are known as the carrier-boxes 111. The guides are secured to the boxes by screws or other suitable means. These rails 66 are carried by arms 67, pivoted at68, one of the arms having a branch 67, Fig. 5. A tooth or cam 69, Figs. 1 and 10, is formed on or screwed to a link 70, connected to lever 71. The spring 72 normally holds the lever back to keep cam 69 away from arm 67''. When the chain 44 carries a face 74 against roller 73 of lever 71 to cause the latter to bring tooth 69 to arm 67, the arm 67 is tilted. The carrier-actuator 75, Fig. 1, extends from and reciprocates with carriage 19, and as the arms 67,with rails 66, are tilted away from or toward the actuator 75 one guide 65 is carried out of reach of the actuator and the other guide is brought into such reach or engagement. The actuator 75 thus moves but one guide at a time.

. The shifting of one yarn or another into or out of action can be made to produce certain effects-as, for example, by having the two yarns 64 of different color or appearance. The yarns on their way to carrier-bars 65 pass through tensions 76 and guide-eyes 77.

The actuator 75, carried by carriage 19, reciprocates across the machine along a fixed line or path. The arms 67 as they are tilted or oscillated back or forth to and from said path, or rather across the same, bring one carrier 65 or the other into reach of this actuator.

The completed work 33, as seen by broken lines in Fig. 2, passes or feeds down and about a roller 78 on. lever 79, f ulcru med at 80. From roller 78 the work passes about roller 81 and between this roller and roller 82 to the take-up axle 83, driven by belt 84, passing about shaft 10, Fig. 1. The roller 82 is driven by ratchet 86 and pawl 87, Figs. 2 and 5. The pawl is driven direction by spring 89, Figs. 1 and 5, and in the opposite direction by cam or eccentric 90 on shaft 10. The lever 79 connects by link 91, Figs. 2 and 5, with pawl 87, and when the work passing about roller 78 is under excessive tension the lever 79 is raised or held up by the work and by the aid of link 91 and spring 92 holds the pawl 78 out of action or lifted clear of ratchet 86. As the machine continues working the pawl 87 reciprocates idly and the rollers 81 and 82 remain at rest,

by lever 88, moved in one so that the work is not fed until the work added at the machine has slackened that part of the work about roller 78 sufficiently to allow lever 79 to drop and pawl 87 to pass back into action.

The take-up rod 83 is smooth or has no firm grip on the work rolled about the same, so that unless aided by the feed-rollers 81 and 82 the take-up 83 slips about in the work without feeding or. taking up the same. If desired, the take-up 83 could be left out of use and the work received in a basket or led off, as seen fit.

The pattern-chain, it is noticed, performs several functions, since it brings lifters into action, and also shifts the yarn-guides 65 and actuates the stop-motion. It also in the example shown is made to automatically effect a series of loose stitches or meshes, as presently explained.

The lifter and tumbler or the pivots carrying these parts are shown mounted in or on a carrying piece or bracket 93, Fig. 8, which being a piece separate from the carriage can be made removable, adjustable, or exchangeable and set at an angle to make lifter 25 swing transversely to the carriage.

The cam-pieces 21, 21*, and 21*, as seen in Fig. 9, are secured to the carriage by slot and screw connections, so that the pieces can be set to proper relative position before being clamped or screwed fast. The cam-pieces 21 and 2-1 Fig. 9, have each a slot 91 engaged by an eccentric-pin 95 on a disk 96. One of these disks 96 has its stem or axle 97, Figs. 3 and 8, provided with an arm 98, engaged by a fork 99 on slide 100, mounted on carriage 19. WVhen the slide is moved to turn arm 98 with pin 95,'the corresponding cam-piece--say 2l is moved across the carriage. By bringing the apex portion of cam 21 nearer to or farther from the base of the cam 21, the carriage re ciprocating back and forth, theneedle-butts will be moved a greater or less extent. sufficientlyincreasing the throw ofthe needles a so-called slack course of loose stitches is obtained.

The slide 100 can be moved by arms or tappets 101, Figs. 3 and 8, rising from or secured to rock-shaft 102, Fig. 1. A spring 103, Fig. 8, tends to normally hold the arms 101 in the path of slide 100. A pusher 104, Fig. 3, tends to hold back the arms 101 out of the way of slide 100; but when the out or recess of the pusher comes to arm 101 the spring 103 can throw the tappets 101 into action. The pusher 104 is connected to lever 106, Fig. 13, and when this lever is moved against the action of spring 107 by the face 108 on' chain iet the pusher 104 is moved to carry the cut 105 to the arms 101. Of cou rse the particular cam, as 21 which is to be moved by arm 98 is clamped or secured in place with sufficient friction to not move accidentally, but not so tight as not to be movable by said arm.

ICC

IIO

, Since one chain .4 can beutilized-to aocomthe working needles until the Widest part of the work is attained, and face 16 produces a slack course and face 108 then stops themachine. Faces 46 and 108 can both 'be made to stop the machine, the machine being started after stoppage by face 46, to be again stopped by face 108. The number of workingneedles is then reduced to again knit a narrowest portionand the machine started to form a welt in the usual way and then goon knitting a succeeding section of work. By temporarily shifting one of the cams 21 out orto the-ad-' 'jacent cams 21 and 21*, so as to have one set of needles inoperative for, say, three or four courses or strokes of the carriage, the welt is formed. Thiscam 21 can then be shifted back into working position. This shift of cam '2l-can-be done by hand, if desired. The faces 74' form stripes and the chain then goes on to face 45 and continues as described.

As seen in Figs. 3 and 11, the faces or cams 39, 'which actuate the tumbler aetuating levers, are not in line with but one in advance of the other, so that these actuators 39 operate the levers38,-Fig. 5, alternately and not simultaneously.

As seen in Figs. 4 and 5, an arm 109 is pivoted'at 110. As long as the work 33 is properly tightened or stretched the arm 109 is held away from the slide or shifter 51. If the work is slack or broken or comes off the needles, the arm 109, falling or pressing by its weight against slide 51, clears the latter from stop 52, so that spring 53 can shift the slide' for stopping the machine.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A knitting-machine provided with needles'and thread-guideatracks 66 for the guides,

downwardly-extended and pivoted or oscillatory arms for the tracks, an actuator located at-the upper part of the guides so as not to come between the latter and the needles, a horizontal arm extended from one of the downwardly-extended arms and made to normally rest on the machine-frame, a slide made to pass under the horizontal arm for tilting the downwardly-extended arms, and a lever'and chain for actuating the slide, substantially as described.

2. A knitting-machine having a carriage, pivots on the carriage, needle-lifters on'the pivots, tumbler-levers 31 made to swing freely or without spring-pressure, fingers for-swing'- ing the tumbler-levers, rock-shafts for the fingers, a fork havingnon-alin'ed projections 39 for rocking the shafts, and a chain forac-= tuating the fork to bring first one and then the other projection to its respective'rockshaft for alternately actuating the fingersand tumblers with their lifters, substantially'as described.

3. A knitting machine having a carriage, a pivot 27 mounted obliquely in the carriage,.a

needle-lifter made to swing but incapable of longitudinal or sliding motion on the pivot, a

holding-spring 30 for the lifter, and a tumbler 31 made in form of a first-class lever and to swing freely or without spring-pressure, said tumbler being loose or disconnected from the lifter so that one arm of the tumbler can swing to and from contact with the lifter, and theother tumbler-arm being adapted to contact with a tumbler-actuator, substantially as described.

1. A knitting-machine having a carriage, a needle-lifter pivoted or swinging on the carriage but incapable of longitudinal or sliding motion thereon, a holding-spring for the lifter, a tumbler pivoted-loosely so asto swing freely or without spring-pressure on the carriage, and a tumbler-actuating finger 31, said tumblerbeingloose' ordisconnected from the lifter and from the actuating-finger, substantially as described.

5. A knitting-machine provided with a nee die-bed and needles, a carriage, a lifter, a i

tumbler projected beyond or laterally from the lifter, a finger 34, a -rock-shaft placed'parallel to the needle-bed and made to swing the finger to and from reach of the tumbler, a spring for normally holding the finger away from the tumbler, and a chain for rocking the shaft to move the finger to the tumbler, substantially as described.

6. Aknitting-machinehavinganeedle-bed, needles rectilinearly movable across the-bed and having butts made to aline or be stopped by the bed, a carriage having lifters pivoted or swinging at an angle or incline to the needles, tumblers made toprOject outside the carriage, oscillating fingers 34 for actuating the tumblers, and a central cam-piece 21 and 1 lateral cam-pieces on the carriage, and mechanism substantially-as described for holding or swing 011 the carriage, substantially as described.

7. A knitting-machine provided with needles, a carriage, a needle-lifter, arms 67 pivoted at their lower ends to the machine, yarnand stop-motion connection and to oscillate the center cam-piece so that it will not move the arms 67 to shift one yarn-guide or the other to the actuator, substantially as described. 8. A knitting-machine having a needle-actuating carriage provided With cam pieces 5 made separate orindependent of one another, an arm and slide 100 made to engage and shift one of the earn-pieces and being disconnected from the other cam-pieces, an actuating-arm for the slide, and a face or slide 104 for said Cit last-named or aetuatin g arm substantially as I0 described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

' ALFRED MARCH.

Witnesses:

W. O. HAUFF, E. F. KASTENHUBER. 

